Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 24 Feb: Following the death of a patient during treatment at Primus Hospital located in the Raipur police station area of Dehradun, the district administration has suspended the hospital’s licence and has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh. According to the district officials, the hospital management has conveyed that it will close the hospital services on its own, failing which strict action will be initiated within 7 to 10 days.
The action comes in a case related to the death of a person during treatment on 17 September last year at Primus Hospital. In the wake of the incident and the complaints that followed, the district administration and the Health Department adopted a stringent stance and suspended the hospital’s registration. In addition, a financial penalty of Rs 1 lakh has been levied on the institution.
The officials stated that the considering the seriousness of the matter, a joint team of the administration had conducted a detailed inspection of the hospital. During the inquiry, several grave irregularities were revealed. According to officials, patient records were not being maintained in a systematic manner by the Hospital. Furthermore, details and relevant documents pertaining to the doctors providing treatment were also not properly available. The Health Department viewed this lapse in record management with utmost seriousness.
On the basis of the inspection report, the Health Department suspended the hospital’s licence with immediate effect. Besides this, a monetary penalty of Rs 1 lakh was imposed, which has since been deposited by the hospital administration. However, an inquiry by the National Medical Commission (NMC) is still underway, and the final decision will depend upon its findings.
Chief Medical Officer, Dehradun, Dr Manoj Sharma stated that the hospital administration has written to the department expressing its willingness to shut down the facility voluntarily. He said that after the suspension of registration, the operation of the hospital is no longer lawful. The department is ensuring that the hospital is completely closed and that no medical services are operated beingfrom the premises.
The CMO clarified that, in case, the hospital management does not close the facility within the next 7 to 10 days, the Health Department will send its team to initiate further action in accordance with the rules. This may include sealing of the premises. Following the incident, questions have also been raised locally regarding the monitoring of health services. The administration has further claimed that all the private hospitals and nursing homes operating in the district are inspected from time to time and strict action is taken wherever irregularities are found.
At present, the department claims to be exercising vigilance to ensure justice for the bereaved family and to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future.
